Ashes in the Wind
by Phantom Tempest
Summary: Upon discovering Claves has been murdered, Falsetto flees out of fear that she'll be blamed. Now on the run, she sets out to find answers and learn about herself. Will she succeed, or be lost like ashes in the wind? Eventual Jazz/Falsetto.
1. Chapter 1: Flight

Phantom: Well, here we are again. It's always bothered me every time I played Eternal Sonata that we don't find out where Falsetto is or what she does when she runs away. She's my favorite character, so I've decided to indulge myself and write my interpretation of what happened. I promise there will be eventual Jazz/Falsetto, but not yet. Be patient~

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. 8D

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Chapter 1: Flight

The voice in the back of her mind screamed for her to run away as fast as she could. The anxiety was starting to become overwhelming, and Falsetto felt as if she was going against a current by continuing to follow Jazz. The base wasn't too much further, Falsetto knew, but she felt uneasy. She began to wonder what exactly had gone on while she had been in the cemetery with Allegretto and Viola. What confused her more was the fact that Claves wasn't with Jazz when he came back to Andante headquarters. She knew that Claves was a capable fighter, even if her appearance said otherwise, and Falsetto realized that Claves was probably fine waiting for them alone. Despite the reassuring thoughts that Claves was all right, Falsetto felt that something was wrong.

The group had been silent ever since they started the trip from Andante to the base. The silence, combined with the anxiety that was overwhelming Falsetto, was finally getting to her. She quickened her pace and was soon walking beside Jazz, leaving Allegretto and Viola to trail behind them. "Jazz, would you mind if I went ahead without you?" Falsetto asked. Jazz responded with a perplexed look, immediately making Falsetto regret asking.

"Why ever would you want to, Falsetto?" Jazz asked. Falsetto opened her mouth to respond, but she closed it again after a moment. She wondered if Jazz would believe her if she told him about the bad feeling she had. Falsetto would have to try a different tactic if she wanted to avoid being asked more questions.

"I just want to check up on things back at the base, Jazz. We were gone for a while, so I want to make sure everything is all right." Falsetto explained. It sounded reasonable enough to her. The group had been gone longer than they had anticipated with the mission of rescuing Salsa and getting separated from the rest of their little group. It was true that Jazz had been back at the base with Claves only an hour or so before he returned to Andante, but this slight flaw in her plan didn't seem to bother Falsetto.

"Claves and I were just at the base, Falsetto. Everything was fine when we were there." Jazz stated.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to take another look does it?" Falsetto asked indignantly. Jazz's sudden need to question her motives was beginning to annoy her. She wondered for a moment if Jazz trusted her on her own at all anymore. He had been giving her strange looks ever since they had passed through the Woodblock Groves. She couldn't pretend she didn't notice, especially since she, Claves, and Jazz had done most of the fighting in that area. Falsetto was snapped out of her thoughts by Jazz's sigh. It seemed as though the black haired swordsman had given in at last.

"Fine, you can go ahead. We'll be meeting up with you there soon enough, so you might as well get going so you can do whatever it is you need to do." Jazz sighed. Falsetto nodded gratefully and sprinted on ahead of Jazz. As she got farther ahead she could have sworn she heard Allegretto ask Jazz about the conversation that had just gone on, but Falsetto ignored it. All she cared about was getting back to the base and putting the uneasy feeling to rest.

It seemed that the uneasy feeling faded away when she reached the base. The base had a calm air about it, leaves were floating along in the breeze, and as far as Falsetto could tell nothing seemed to be wrong. "Maybe I was worrying over nothing after all." she said. Even though things appeared calm on the outside, Falsetto wondered if everything was all right inside the base. Without wasting any more time, Falsetto approached the base and opened the door.

Once she was inside, she realized it felt oddly quiet. As she walked further down the hall, Falsetto felt the feeling of anxiety return. Usually Claves would be there to greet her and Jazz when they came back from missions or supply runs. Whatever feeling she had now seemed to be telling her to check on Claves. "Claves, are you there? It's me. Falsetto." Falsetto called. When she got no response, Falsetto knew something wasn't right. Whatever grudges she held against the pink haired woman didn't matter now. She had to find Claves.

Falsetto didn't have to search for long. A sickening sight greeted her as soon as she rounded the corner that led to the main planning room. Claves lay motionless on the floor in a puddle of blood that was slowly staining the hardwood an ugly red. The 22-year-old had to do everything within her power to prevent herself from gagging at the sight. Once she was over her initial shock, Falsetto returned her gaze to Claves.

There were bloodstains in various places throughout the room, indicating that Claves had been able to move around quite a bit before collapsing. Falsetto felt as though her head was spinning the more she looked over Claves and the room. Upon further inspection Falsetto saw that Claves' rapier was resting on the table and that it wasn't stained with blood. Falsetto felt more relaxed when she realized that the damage done to Claves wasn't self-inflicted.

A thought came to Falsetto as she looked at Claves; what if Claves wasn't dead? Falsetto quickly made her way over to where Claves was laying and knelt down beside her. "C-Claves, can you hear me?" Falsetto murmured shakily. Her hand trembled as she reached out to touch Claves' shoulder, and when she finally placed her hand on her shoulder she had to resist the urge to flinch away. Claves' body was already cold. Any hope that the pink haired woman was still alive had flown out the window long before Falsetto had arrived.

Falsetto's whole body began trembling as she pulled her hand away from Claves. "N-No… y-you can't be dead. You just can't be!" Falsetto cried. It felt as if her world had shattered in that moment. She had never liked Claves, but she would never wish anything bad upon her. Claves was Jazz's girlfriend, but any chance Falsetto had at winning Jazz's heart was shattered in that instant.

A startling thought came to Falsetto as she started to back away from Claves' body; Jazz might blame her. It had become more noticeable in the passing days that Falsetto didn't like Claves. What if Jazz blamed her?

She had to leave. Falsetto couldn't risk losing Jazz forever by being blamed for something she didn't do. Everything that had happened began swirling around in her head as she staggered toward the exit, but she stopped herself when she thought that Jazz, Allegretto, and Viola might be outside waiting for her and Claves. Falsetto looked around the room and spotted the open window. It wasn't the best way to exit, but Falsetto didn't care. Making sure she didn't step in one of the puddles of blood, Falsetto made her way toward the window and climbed out.

Once she was on the ground, she ran. She didn't care where she ended up; she just had to get away. _"Claves is dead. I should be happy,_" she thought. _"Jazz will never forget her, though. I'll always be second fiddle, and I can never hope to catch up now."_


	2. Chapter 2: Shadow

Phantom: Whoa... it's been what? Two years since I updated this? I'm so sorry for the long wait in terms of updating this. I got caught up in college stuff and other fandoms. But I'm back now with a fresh update of this story! I hope it was worth the wait.

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Chapter 2: Shadow

Red light had filled the sky by the time Falsetto felt she had run far enough. Her breath was coming in ragged bursts and her pace had slowed to a shaky walk. When she finally stopped and leaned against a nearby oak tree, she looked skyward. It was fitting, she thought, that the sky was as red as the blood that stained the Andantino headquarters.

Falsetto's breath was starting to return to her as she finally allowed herself to take in the scenery. She hadn't been focused on where she was going while running since the only thought going through her head was to get away, but she felt herself becoming more relaxed as she took everything in. Falsetto seemed to have stumbled upon a forest, and an unfamiliar one at that. If it were any other time, the prospect of unexplored territory would have made her happy. As it was, she hardly acknowledged the beauty around her. Her mind was too jumbled, too shattered by the day's events, to recognize such things.

A shaky sigh escaped Falsetto after a moment. The revelation that Claves had been killed was only just sinking in. It felt unreal, like she was walking in a hazy dream that she couldn't wake herself from. However, Falsetto knew what she saw had been true. She had felt Claves' cold body and had seen the blood that stained their base with her own eyes. She'd also had had the bad feeling that something happened while they were gone. All Falsetto could wonder was why it had been her that had felt it. Why hadn't Jazz, Allegretto, or Viola sensed anything? Was it just Falsetto's underlying mistrust of Claves that had made her so uneasy? The ash-haired woman couldn't even begin to comprehend it, and probably never would understand what had gone on. It didn't matter. Falsetto had run away and she knew there would be no going back. Jazz would never accept her if he came to the conclusion that she was the one behind the murder.

As she stood there against the tree, thoughts of every kind flooded her head. The ones that stuck out were thoughts of Jazz. She began to wonder if he had ever really cared all that much about her. The two had been friends for as long as they could remember. That had to mean something. …Right?

No. No, it didn't mean anything. Jazz had never seen Falsetto as anything more than a dear friend. Falsetto was only just beginning to realize this. "When she showed up it was like I had become nothing more than a shadow. No, that's not it. …It was like I was trapped in her shadow. Forever doomed to be nothing compared to her." Falsetto murmured. She knew no one was around to hear her, but voicing her thoughts somehow made her feel just the tiniest bit better.

"I was a fool to think he would ever acknowledge me after she came along. I wonder… have the others found her yet? Has Jazz blamed me?" she asked herself. Wondering was all she could do now that she was on her own. Falsetto knew she couldn't stay in the forest for long. Sooner or later, Jazz would come looking for her. She would have to keep moving if she wanted to keep that from happening. Although she was still tired from the long run, Falsetto forced herself to resume walking. Once again, the ash-haired woman had no idea where she was going. She was in completely new territory, and where she ended up was the last thing on her mind.

As she walked, Falsetto's mind continued to wander. She kept finding herself thinking of the day's events, repeatedly seeing the image of Claves' dead body in her mind as she continually tried to push the image away. She didn't want to think of that. She was trying to get away from that, but the image had so firmly placed itself in her mind that Falsetto found it difficult to forget. It was as though every time she closed her eyes she found herself reliving that horrible moment. Falsetto felt sick just thinking about it.

_Is this what its come to? Am I forever going to be haunted by Claves' memory? _Falsetto wondered. She didn't like that prospect. The last thing she wanted was to be haunted by the memory of her rival. …Was Claves even her rival? The pink-haired woman had never seemed to hold a grudge against her, and Falsetto realized that. Thinking about it, it almost seemed petty to be so bitter toward Claves. After all, the pink-haired woman was no longer among the living. It felt foolish to even consider her a rival because of that fact. Yet Falsetto couldn't seem to let it go. Jazz had been _her_ friend first. Not Claves'. Who did she think she was waltzing in and stealing his heart like that?

Falsetto came to an abrupt stop and let a guttural noise come from within her as she kicked a rock out of her way. She was angry at herself, Claves, and the universe. Herself because she had allowed someone to steal Jazz's affections before she even had a chance to work out her feelings, Claves for being the rival she had come to despise, and the universe because it felt unfair to be in her situation at all. Falsetto hated every moment of what she was experiencing. She wished she could go back, but the shadow of what had happened seemed to loom over her like a dark cloud. That notion caused a horrid feeling of uneasiness to settle in her stomach once more. No. Falsetto couldn't go back. Not while the unease of being blamed for a crime she didn't commit continued to hang in the air.

"…I have to find out what happened." Falsetto finally said. She couldn't stand not knowing why or how Claves had been murdered. All she had been able to tell was that Claves had been stabbed and left to bleed her life away. The one who committed the crime had fled long before Falsetto arrived. So many questions remained unanswered. Why had Claves been murdered? Who had done it? What did they achieve by killing her? Falsetto wanted her answers, but found she couldn't think of any because of how clouded her thoughts had become.

"I'm never going to figure anything out without getting some rest." she murmured. Even though she wanted to keep moving, fatigue from her flight and the feeling of being drained by the day's events had left her more tired than she would have liked to be. She silently concluded that she should stay in the forest, at least for that night, before beginning to try and find answers. She approached a nearby tree and allowed herself to sit down with her back against the trunk and positioning herself so that she was facing the way she had run. An uncomfortable shudder ran through Falsetto's body and she was forced to wrap her arms around her. Whether or not it was cold that had brought on the shudder was difficult to determine. All Falsetto could tell was that she was in for a long night.

_Just try to get some sleep. Things might become clearer in the morning._

Although she was reluctant, Falsetto found her eyes drooping and her head bobbing slightly. It wasn't long before she found herself drifting off into a dreamless sleep.


End file.
